


Delivery Boy

by Daisyapples



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Adam Parrish & Blue Sargent Friendship, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, Cute Animals, First Kiss, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Not Beta Read, Pizza, Ronan Lynch Loves Adam Parrish, Ronan Lynch is Bad at Feelings, Vet shows, We Die Like Men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-02 05:03:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17258042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daisyapples/pseuds/Daisyapples
Summary: Ronan Lynch was crying when he opened the door. He didn't look like someone who would cry; his shaved head, sharp cheekbones and violent mouth looked more attuned to anger than tears. The attitude he had in school, when he turned up, didn't exactly screamperson who cried.Except he was crying and Adam had no idea what to do so he just said, “Eh, that'll be thirty five dollars please.”(AKA Adam is a pizza boy and Ronan is crying and they arenotfriends even though Gansey wants them to be.)





	Delivery Boy

**Author's Note:**

> Happy New Year! Have a random story that's been sitting in my docs for the last six months!! 
> 
> Hope 2019 is fucking wonderful.

Ronan Lynch was crying when he opened the door. He didn't look like someone who would cry; his shaved head, sharp cheekbones and violent mouth looked more attuned to anger than tears. The attitude he had in school, when he turned up, didn't exactly scream _person who cried_. 

Except he was crying and Adam had no idea what to do so he just said, “Eh, that'll be thirty five dollars please.” 

Ronan nodded. “Sure, Parrish. Give me a fucking minute.” He wiped tears off his cheeks with the heel of his hand. He patted his pockets. “Shit. One second. I left my stupid fucking wallet inside.” 

Inside was an oversized warehouse Adam had been sure was abandoned when he first drove up. Irritation had pulsed under his skin; if fake orders got called in, the lost money was taken out of his paycheck. Which made no sense. Except to prove Nino's were terrible employers. Now he was just worried. He didn't like seeing anyone in pain, had spent too much time suffering to be comfortable when others were hurting. 

Ronan came back, long legs striding across an empty factory floor. Adam couldn't help but admire how attractive he was; heavy army boots rising dust clouds that echoed around each leg. He looked mystical. Like something out of a dream. The black tank he wore revealed thick biceps and hard forearms. The low neck hinted at collarbones and the arching blade of a tattoo. 

Tears were still streaming down his face. He shoved a fifty into Adam's hand. “Keep the change,” he muttered, before grabbing the food and slamming the door. 

Adam blinked. “Okay, then,” he muttered and went back to his car. 

“How were deliveries?” Blue asked when he arrived back at Nino's to drop off the money at the end of his shift. The restaurant was quiet, and she was leaning on the hostess table, staring at the door as if praying for more customers. 

“They were-” he paused, not wanting to turn Ronan into an antidote. It seemed cruel somehow. “-usual. Boring as shit.” He unbuckled his money bag and went over to the cash register to count up his float.

Blue laughed and followed him, “Same as here then.” 

“Quiet?” He glanced around, only three of the tables were occupied. 

Raven boys sat at one chucking wet pieces of tissue at each other. That was going to be a bitch to clean up. Adam considered telling them to stop but the words died on his tongue. Not worth the trouble it would bring him in school on Monday. 

"Except for President Cellphone in the corner, same old shit,” Blue said, interrupting his thoughts. She huffed when she saw where Adam was staring. “I’ve told them to stop three times. I may just overcharge them for my cleaning expenses.”

Adam looked back to the till and asked, “Gansey is here?” Gansey and him had started a friendship based solely on the fact they loved learning. He’d never been to his home or anything, mostly they met after school in the library and discussed classes or welsh kings. The other boy was obsessed with folklore and now so was Adam. “You know he's not actually a bad guy. He's just over enthusiastic.”

“An over enthusiastic asshole.”

“I think you actually sorta like him.”

Blue stalked away, refusing to dignify that with an answer. Her long purple RaRa skirt swished through the air like the noise of the ocean. It just added to her dramatic exit and Adam suspected that was exactly why she wore it.

It was only later when he was lying in bed in his lonely apartment that he allowed himself to think about Ronan. He began wondering why he'd been crying, but soon all Adam could see in the dark was Ronan's arms and mouth, his shoulders and collarbones. 

______________________________________

Ronan had been having such a good week. Okay, yes, he'd missed most of his classes, and Gansey was pissed, but not going to school meant he get to do things like drive faster than the speed limit, and sneak into The Barns, and hang out with Noah who was also fluid about the meaning of _mandatory attendance_. It was only when Declan rang to inform him he'd been spotted in The Barns and his dad's lawyers were going nuts and _you've fucked us all Ronan, Jesus Mary_ that his week went downhill. And then the too attractive-for-his-own-good pizza boy, aka Adam Parrish, caught him crying. 

He'd only allowed himself the luxury because no one was home. Noah and Gansey were getting pizza. He hadn't been invited; further proof Gansey was angry. Monmouth was empty and Ronan had switched on the TV while swallowing down a bunch of beer. The only show on was some animal rescue shite, but then the tiny puppy was ill, and the kitten lost a leg, and the horse was being put down, and Ronan was fucking sobbing because he’d finally fucked everything up. Just like he'd been trying to do for the last year. 

Who knew victory would taste so fucking sucky. 

He forgot he'd even ordered pizza when there was a knock. Not thinking, he answered the door. It _had_ to be Adam fucking Parrish. Because the universe fucking hated Ronan. Sandy hair, elegant features, and almost top of the class in Latin; he had spent many a class stealing parts of him. And there he stood; tanned arms holding his food and wide, blue eyes taking in every inch of his wet face. Through pure force of will, Ronan pushed the blush back.

No way Adam fucking Parrish was going to see he was embarrassed. Ignoring the whole crying thing, Ronan paid and shut the door and fucking knocked back three more bottle of beers until he couldn't feel the burning shame anymore. 

By the time Gansey and Noah returned, he was passed out on his bed, EDM blaring from his headphones. 

______________________________________

Ronan wouldn’t meet Adam's gaze on Monday morning. Not that they ever actually acknowledged each other. Even as Gansey and Adam got closer, Ronan remained stubbornly removed.

He looked exhausted. Way worse than usual. The dark circles looked closer to the black eyes Adam's father used to give him. Ronan seemed to be barely awake as Whelk conjugated verbs, and yet, when he was asked a question, the answer came easily. Adam ignored the pang of jealousy. Here in Aglionby, it was a feeling so normal, he took little effort to push it away. 

Class ended and Whelk handed out assignments. 

“97. Fucking loser,” Ronan said, glancing over his shoulder. He felt the heat of Ronan's body before it was stolen away so he could flash his 99. “Better try a bit harder there, Poorboy.”

Adam was suddenly less worried about checking in on the other boy. “Some of us have to work. Delivering pizza.” He didn't miss how Ronan's face fell before he left for his next class. 

The guilt was harder to ignore than the jealousy.

______________________________________

Sometimes, not that he'd ever admit it out loud, Ronan agreed with Declan. He really fucking did go out of his way to fuck up his fucking life. Ignoring The Barns, and the holy shit show he'd managed to create there, the easiest example was Adam Parrish. 

Since he joined Aglionby eighteen months before, Adam had become a frequent visitor in his dreams. Much to Ronan's annoyance. He'd never been interested in girls, but he always assumed that was because he'd never been much interested in anyone. Sure, he'd noticed attractive men in movies and TV but he'd thought it was like hero worship. He didn't have a crush on them. He wanted to be them. Except now, he realised it wasn't like that at all. Because Adam fucking Parrish had walked into his Latin class one stupid Monday morning and wiped his brain of whatever smart comment he was about to throw at Whelk. 

And of course Gansey and Noah adored him, dragging him everywhere, and suddenly Ronan couldn't escape him. 

Not in his dreams and not in real life. 

Ronan lashed out. 

Because what the fuck else would Ronan Niall Lynch do?

Him and Adam were in some sort of toxic, sarcastic standoff. Whoever was crueler seemed to win, and _Jesus Mary_ , Ronan was fucking sick of it. He wanted to put his claws away and just fucking have a normal conversation about fucking something that wasn't cruel and harsh and designed to injure. 

Today, apparently, was not the day. 

He'd try again tomorrow. 

______________________________________

 

Ronan found him at lunch on Friday. Adam always spent it in the library, swallowing down whatever pathetic food he'd managed to pull together, today it was half a granola bar and a slightly out of date yoghurt, and catching up on homework before his shift. He had Boyd's, the factory and delivering pizza tonight. The weekend was hardest because Nino's stayed open late indulging drunk raven boys. It meant Adam could work at Boyd's until eight, the factory until twelve and Nino's until half four. Rinse. Repeat.

God, he just wanted to sleep. 

When Ronan sat down beside him and took out his Latin homework, Adam couldn't help but stare. 

“Fucking what, Parrish?”

“Nothing, Lynch.”

Silence fell between them, interrupted only by the turning of a page or a pen scratching out notes. Ronan was doing more doodling than actual studying but Adam found himself glad of the company. “I didn't tell anyone,” he whispered. 

Ronan’s shoulders tensed and his pen froze in the middle of drawing a weird clawed bird man. “I didn't think you had.” 

“Are you-” he paused, suddenly fearful of breaking this truce. “Are you okay?”

“Rough night.” Ronan said the words very carefully like he was afraid of breaking them. “I got some bad news and then watched some animal vet show.”

“Those shows can be tough.” Adam grinned.

Ronan smirked back. “It was brutal.” 

“Well, next time don't watch it alone.” Adam bit his pen. “Invite someone to watch it with you.” 

He looked at Ronan. 

Ronan looked back. 

Neither of them said anything and the silence stretched between them, taut and elastic. The library was alive around them; mumbled voices echoing over partitions and down the shelves, books landing on tables with a thump and schoolbags zipping open.

Neither of them spoke. 

Adam desperately, and for reasons he couldn't explain to himself, wanted to spend time alone with Ronan. The other boy came across as spikes and thorns, words like blades and a mouth designed to wield them, but Adam thought he saw more sometimes. Like when Ronan helped a baby raven when it fell out of his nest. Or when he stood up for Noah when Kavinsky was giving him a hard time. Every time he saw him with his younger brother. Adam wanted to see if he really was all anger, or if maybe, like he suspected from eighteen months of _almost_ friendship, Ronan was actually a good person. 

Also, Adam wanted to kiss him. 

The bell rang then saving them, ruining them, interrupting them. “Sound advice, Parrish.” Ronan's voice was rougher than it had been before. “See ya later.” 

He was gone before Adam could respond. 

______________________________________

Ronan was watching Kavinsky as he stalked through Nino's directly over to Adam. He had his back to K, counting up his float. Gansey has insisted they wait for him as soon as he realised Adam was off soon. 

Ronan flexed his fists under the table, wanting to go over and stop K. No way Adam would want him to though. They hadn't spoken since the library. Ronan still had no idea what exactly that was. Did Adam want to watch stupid vet shows with him? Ronan didn't think he could stand Adam pressed into his side, the heat of the other boys limbs and the _want_. 

Kavinsky was right at Adam now and the other boy still hadn't noticed. K was grinning; a slow, taunting smile like a tiger about to pounce. 

“I can't believe…” Gansey stopped mid-sentence. “Ronan, where are you going?”

He ignored him, and ignored the glaring stupidity of his decision, the glaring stupidity of all his decisions, and in five long strides, he put himself between K and Adam. It was Ronan that alerted Adam to either of their presences. 

K's grin got sharper as he stared at Ronan's uncompromising expression and the boy he stood in front of. “Really, Lynch? Poor boy?”

Ronan always hated how easily Kavinsky could read him. Hated how no one else ever saw those parts of him, and yet, K could read it off him. Like it was scrawled across his fucking skin. 

“Fuck off, K. Fucking leave it.”

Adam finally turned, like even though he knew they were there, nothing was going to interrupt him counting his float. Ronan felt him turn; the warm flush of his chest as it skimmed Ronan's arm and then his back. They were so close for a moment and then he stepped out from behind him, standing beside him instead. If Ronan took half a step to the left, their arms would be touching. 

He took a tiny step right. Barely noticeable. 

Except K noticed. “Ashamed of your dumpster diving, shithead?”

Ronan tensed, fist already formed when he felt a cool hand on his wrist.

“You were banned last week for fighting. Get out before I call the police.” Adam's voice was pure, cold steel. 

“Think I'm scared of some pigs, poor boy?” K was still staring at Ronan. 

“I don't care who you're afraid of, Kavinsky. I just know who'll come and kick you out.”

It seemed like the restaurant had gone silent as Ronan watched K turn and drag his eyes over the length of Adam's body. “I don't see it, Lynch. But I guess he could be fun for a night.” K dragged a sharp down Adam's sharp cheekbone.

Adam flinched and his hand on Ronan's fist tightened. 

K glanced down and grinned. “Did ya a favour there, Lynch. You owe me.” The grin turned sharper; violent and cruel. He leaned into Ronan, breath hot against the sensitive skin of his ear. “Have fun tonight, lover boy.”

He'd turned and stormed out of the restaurant, saluting Gansey as he did. Ronan watched him, hating how ragged his breathing was. Hating how it was only Adam's long fingers that was stopping him from going over and kicking Kavinsky's sorry fucking ass. “I'm sorry,” he muttered. “I'm really fucking sorry, Adam.”

Adam's fingers jerked at the use of his name. They didn't leave Ronan's wrist. He took a shaky breath. “Don't apologise for him. He's been hanging around here like a fucking poltergeist for months. It's not your fault. Not everything is your fault, Ronan.”

Something uncoiled in Ronan's chest. He took a shuddering breath. “I've got… I've got to go.”

“Stay.” 

“Okay.” 

________________________________________

Oh god. He'd asked Ronan to stay. 

He'd asked him to stay while holding onto the soft, delicate skin of his wrist. Ronan was back at the table, arguing with Gansey about something, but his eyes fell on Adam far too often. 

Adam was on fire. Every time he fell under the attention of Ronan Lynch, it set his skin alight and dragged his hope up. Maybe, just maybe, he would get a chance to find out an answer to all the questions burning under his skin. 

Gansey and Ronan must have finished arguing because Gansey and Noah were leaving, waving a small shape at Adam as they passed. Ronan was still waiting in the booth. Adam hung up his apron and walked over, ignoring the pulse in his wrists. 

“Hey,” he said, sliding into the booth. 

“Hey.” Ronan didn't look up. He was biting his leather bands and scratching at the plastic tabletop. “You done?”

“Yeah. Back in the factory tomorrow morning at six.”

Ronan flinched. “Do you need to go to sleep?”

Adam did. He absolutely did, and yet the possibility of spending time alone with Ronan was too tempting. “Not yet.”

Something soft broke over Ronan's face. “Want to go back to yours and watch one of those vet shows?” 

“I'll grab some pizza and tissues. Just in case.” 

“Sure, Parrish. Just in case.” 

________________________________________

Hours later, empty pizza boxes and tissues littered Adam's floor. The laptop was playing some animal show on loop, but Ronan wasn't watching it anymore. 

He was watching Adam curled up, asleep in his arms, and a soft smile on his lips. Ronan knew what those lips tasted like now, knew the soft breaths Adam made when he was tired but unwilling to stop the kissing, knew how warm Adam was when he was wrapped into Ronan's chest. For the first time in a very long time, Ronan didn't feel like he making a bad decision. 

The next day Declan called. The lawyers had found a new will. Ronan could go home.


End file.
